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STAR TREK: THE ORIGINAL SERIES
Season Three
Review by Michael Jacobson
Stars:
William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, Nichelle Nichols, George
Takei, James Doohan, Walter Koenig
Creator: Gene Roddenberry
Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1, Dolby
Mono
Video: Full Frame 1.33:1
Studio: Paramount
Features: See Review
Length: 1349 Minutes
Release Date: December 7, 2004
“Let
me get this straight…you’re gonna PAY me to kiss Nichelle?” – William
Shatner, Star Trek Memories
It
doesn’t seem as widely remembered today, but in actuality, Star Trek was
cancelled after only two years on the air.
Only an energetic letter writing campaign from the fans delayed the
inevitable for another season. However,
the suits that made the decisions about such things were convinced that Star
Trek really didn’t have an audience, and they set about to prove it…by
positioning it in the “kiss of death” time slot; Friday nights at 10 PM.
As George Takei remarked, “Our audience was intelligent, hip and with
it.” And those were exactly the
kind of people who were NOT home watching television at ten o’clock on a
Friday night.
The
swan song year of the original series had other problems as well.
Creator Gene Roddenberry continued to experience frustrations at how
network producers wanted to steer the program.
The budget had been lowered yet again, which, coupled with big raises for
stars William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy left little for production design.
And once the fatal time slot had been announced, there seemed little hope
for the future of the show.
Still,
considering the weight of such issues, the final season produced some of the
show’s most memorable and popular episodes.
One of my favorites was always “The Enterprise Incident”, in which a
seemingly unbalanced Kirk (Shatner) takes the Enterprise across the Neutral Zone
into Romulan territory and into certain destruction…but he and his First
Officer Spock (Nimoy) have a method to their madness.
Other
fan faves included “Spectre of the Gun”, which has our heroes facing down a
simulation of the gunfight at the OK Corral, but with very real consequences on
the line. The colored backgrounds
and shoddy facades for sets were born out of the budget problem, yet the look in
conjunction with the idea of the show actually worked favorably.
“Day of the Dove” has an alien intelligence bringing a war between
the Enterprise and the Klingons dangerously close.
“For the World is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky” is one of Dr.
McCoy’s (Kelley) finest showcases.
Unfortunately,
the year also boasted a couple of episodes many involved would probably like to
forget. “The Way to Eden” has
the Enterprise overrun with alien hippies.
“Elaan of Troyius” has Kirk and company trying to tame a barbaric
female in time for a (hopefully) peace-producing marriage. And one of television’s most prolific series ended on a
decidedly peculiar note, as Captain Kirk switches bodies with a woman who has
designs of power in the final episode “Turnabout Intruder”. Watching William Shatner going PMS on us was kind of
entertaining in its own way, but hardly the stuff of Star Trek lore.
Gene
Roddenberry always believed science fiction could channel the human condition,
and two of the third year’s most intriguing episodes dealt squarely with the
issue of race. “Let That Be Your
Last Battlefield” has the Enterprise becoming a temporary home to a war
between two races who are literally half black and half white…the only
difference is which side of their bodies are which, but it’s enough in their
eyes to merit a fight to the death.
And
“Plato’s Stepchildren” earned a place in history by offering us
television’s first interracial kiss. While
“Battlefield” was a fictionalized comment on racism, “Plato’s
Stepchildren” offered nothing fictional…the social comment was all in
reality, as network executives sweated over the idea of Kirk and Uhura (Nichols)
locking lips in prime time!
But
sadly, no amount of controversy or social relevance was going to save Star
Trek from the fate of so many other shows.
Once season three was over, the cancellation was official…there would
be no last minute revival this time. But
of course, one era of history always gives way to another.
Reruns of the original series in syndication would bring about an ever
growing fan base. Conventions
popping up across the country became major cultural events.
And soon, the too-early retirees of the crew of the Enterprise were back
in business on the big screen.
And
Star Trek would continue on through the years in the form of movies,
various TV shows, books, comics, merchandise and more.
But thanks to DVD, Trekkies can always go back to the beginning and
reminisce how it all started…with a vision, a ship, a plucky crew, a crotchety
doctor, a placid Vulcan, and a captain who always managed to save the day.
Video
***
The
restoration and preservation of the classic shows continues to impress…the new
digital transfers service the series well with good coloring and generally clean
prints with only an occasional telltale sign of aging.
Audio
**
Likewise,
the 5.1 remix tracks are serviceable if not overly demanding.
Spoken words remain clean and clear, and dynamic range minimal, with the
only surround effects coming from the occasional whooshing spaceship and such.
Features
***1/2
The
extras for the final season are quite cool…two of the episodes, “The Savage
Curtain” and “Turnabout Intruder” include the now famous text commentaries
from Star Trek Encyclopedia authors Michael and Denise Okuda.
Two
versions of the original pilot “The Cage” are featured…the original
version has a Gene Roddenberry introduction and was part black and white and
part color (at the time, the only color bits known to exist were the ones cut
for “The Menagerie”). But the
restored version shows the episode in full color glory with a cleaner print.
“To
Boldly Go” showcases Season Three with fresh interviews and insights from cast
and crew, while stars Walter Koenig, George Takei and James Doohan each get a
featurette of their own. “Star
Trek’s Impact” introduces us to Rod Roddenberry, son of Gene and fellow
Trekkie, who shares some of his thoughts on the show. “A Star Trek Collector’s Dream Come True”
introduces us to a Hollywood prop man who got the enviable job of taking
original working props from the series and recreating them as models and other
merchandise.
Rounding
out the extras are a production art gallery, preview trailers for all the
episodes, and some more easy to find “Red Shirt Log” Easter eggs.
My favorite was George Takei remembering his struggles to get Sulu
promoted to captain…when he finally gave up on it, they let him have the job!
Summary:
